revealing?”
“Stop.”
I said.
“Now every family photo looks damaged.”
Liam’s fork struck his plate.
“Gwen!”
I shouted.
“Oh, stop babying her.”
My sister snapped.
“The world is cruel.
Better she hears it from family.”
Maya covered her mouth.
A sob escaped.
“No one wants to look at that on Instagram.”
That was when Liam stood.
He was small for ten.
But in that moment, he looked remarkably steady.
He placed his camera on the table.
He looked directly at Gwen.
Then he said:
“Then why did you pay that man to take pictures of Maya when she thought
nobody was watching?”
Gwen’s face changed.
Not confusion.
Fear.
The color seemed to drain from her cheeks.
“What are you talking about?”
Liam picked up his camera.
“The man by the blue umbrella.”
“Liam.”
She said.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I heard you.”
Gwen stood so quickly her chair scraped backward.
I looked between them.
“What man?”
“Nobody.”
Gwen grabbed her purse.
“Liam is making things up.”
“I’m not.”
He said.
“You gave him money.”
“Enough.”
Gwen snapped.
She headed toward the front door.
“Gwen.”
I followed.
“What is he talking about?”
She did not answer.
She opened the door.
“Ask your son why he’s spying on adults.”
Then she left.
For several seconds, the house was silent.
Maya was crying quietly.
Noah went to her.
I returned to the table.
“Liam.”
He looked worried.
“I wasn’t spying.”
“I believe you.
Tell me what happened.”
He unlocked his camera.
“On the third day.”
He said.
“You and Dad went to get drinks.
Maya was reading by the water.”
I remembered.
“I was taking pictures of birds.”
He scrolled.
Then stopped.
The image showed Gwen near a row of rental umbrellas.
A man stood beside her.
He wore a baseball cap and carried a professional camera with a long
lens.
The photograph was not close enough to identify every detail.
But Gwen was clearly handing him something.
Another image showed the man looking toward the shoreline.
Toward where Maya had been sitting.
Liam said:
“I heard Gwen tell him to get pictures where you could see Maya’s
marks.”
My stomach tightened.
“Exactly what did she say?”
“I don’t remember all of it.”
That answer mattered.
I did not want him filling gaps because he knew I was upset.
“What do you remember?”
